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Campus News

Professor of Spanish, José Hernán Córdova sent an all-campus email on April 23 questioning the $65,961.53 balance in the Wilson College Government Association (WCGA) account. In the email he asked how such a surplus can occur and what will happen to the money at the semester’s end.

On Fri, May 3 members of the senior class presented research they began working on last semester. Each senior who was presenting worked with at least one faculty member. This faculty member advised the student throughout their work and helped them to present their research work to the Wilson community. Student Research Day provides this opportunity to those graduating seniors who may have an interest in pursuing graduate work.

As the start of class time draws near, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Communications, Felicia Shearer eyes her watch. She feels well prepared and excited to begin her lecture, ready to make the most out of every second of class time. Her contagious enthusiasm rubs off on her students as they prepare to engage themselves knee deep in mass communication theory at 9:30am.

Two women have followed their hearts and are encouraging others to do the same as they work to form a collegiate chapter of the Futer Farmers of America(FFA). Founder, Carolyn Lawrence ‘14 and Co-founder, Daniele Riley ‘14 initiated the new club to promote their interest in agriculture at the end of the fall semester last year.

Graduating students have the opportunity to make the graduation process smoother at the first ever Graduation Fair on Tue, March 26. A committee of staff members, who help the senior class plan Commencement, teamed up with senior class representatives to create this event. The senior representatives told staff what they would like to see and the staff ran with those ideas.

Fourth grader at Cumberland Valley Christian School (CVCS), Christopher Bush is the son of Barbara Bush '13, a member of the Women with Children Program (WWC). On Fri, March 1, he was a finalist in the 15th annual Speech Meet at his school.

It’s that time of year for Wilson College Government Association Executive Board Elections! In this segment of PUSH, there are brief descriptions of the Executive Board positions and the timeline for application deadlines and elections.

Coverage in Wilson’s Career Development Center changed on Dec. 31 of last year. As a result, the Career Development Officemade decisions regarding how they can provide services to students, especially the seniors who are in their last semester.

The winds of change are blowing big ideas around our campus. The gusts began to swell last semester as the Commission on Shaping the Future of Wilson College shared their considerations with the entire community as they prepared to make their final recommendations.

Spring Convocation brought the Wilson community together Tues, Feb. 11 in Thomson Hall’s Alumnae Chapel to welcome new members and hear the words of Wells College President Lisa Marsh Ryerson. Ryerson spoke of her personal experiences during Wells College transition in fall 2005 from an all-women’s college to a co-educational institution.

An information session for residents was held on Mon, Feb. 4 regarding the efforts to test for and eliminate possible airborne mold spores infiltrating the air in campus residence halls. Mold spores that linger in the air long enough can pose serious health concerns.

On Mon, Jan. 21, the Wilson College official Facebook page updated with a message to all those who had posted on the site with comments on the changes regarding the Sun, Jan. 13 vote by the Board of Trustees.

The 30 member Board of Trustees met on Fri, Nov. 30 and Sat, Dec. 1. They were meeting to vote on the proposals presented by President Dr. Barbara Mistick; these materials are aimed at providing a stable financial future for Wilson.

The sun peeked over the horizon on Wed, Nov. 14 to reveal the Wilson campus covered in posters, signs, and sheets. A number of messages adorned the signs, ranging from “You said we would have a voice, why is no one listening?” and “What Would Sarah Wilson Do?” to “Better Dead than Co-ed.”

The Harry R. Brooks Complex for Science, Mathematics and Technology Auditorium was filled with students, faculty, staff and alumnae on Thurs, Nov. 3. The Commission for Shaping the Future of Wilson College held an Open House meeting to discuss draft recommendations that could begin to affect Wilson as early as next semester. No decisions have been made and will not be made until the Board of Trustees meet in December.

A woman with curly brown hair sat on a chair in the Harry R. Brooks Complex for Science, Mathematics and Technology's auditorium. Her purple jacket and scarf matched well and looked cozy. Her dark brown eyes focused on her book. She raised her frameless eyeglasses. She seemed to be reading a serious journal. She looked like the perfect image of a college professor. Who is she?

The college celebrated its third annual Student Research Day on Fri, April 27. Thirty three seniors presented their undergraduate research work in the Harry R Brooks Complex for Science, Mathematics and Technology. Nineteen students participated in poster sessions.

With the coming of spring, students enjoy the Conococheague Creek for leisure activities. But, they also litter without realizing the far-reaching, ecological impact of their actions on the Chesapeake Bay. Asst. Prof. of Environmental Studies, Edward Wells challenges his Ecological Perspectives class to think locally as they develop semester-long, senior projects to improve the Bay’s declining health.

Students will have only two days before commencement to prepare for the traditional Daisy Chain and Senior Bash, since campus administrators pushed the academic calendar back by a week for 2012-13 semester.

Administrative efforts are underway to get students through college more efficiently, increase enrollment and rethink coursework. Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty, Mary Hendrickson placed a charge to all academic departments that would modify coursework and reconfigure departments.

The Board of Trustees approved a 1.2 percent hike in fees and voted to maintain the tuition for next year at the 2011-2012 rate of $28,745. The increment amounts to $458.00, paid by full-time, residential students for the next academic year. The Board made the decision upon the recommendation of Pres. Barbara K. Mistick.

Every year the Muhibbah club has a sampler of international desserts and a dinner with international fare, along with entertainment, but this may change next year. The Muhibbah club is at risk for not being able to pay for the cost of the dessert sampler and dinner for 2012-2013 year.

Every Friday from 5:15pm-10:00pm, the school offers shuttle service for shopping. The shuttle works a continuous loop between Wilson and the nearby shopping locations. However, students have suggested that the shuttle is not timely and is somewhat unpredictable. Students have also reported waiting for over two hours for the shuttle. Students who use the service demand improvement.

The Residence Life Program is recruiting new 2012-13 Residence Assistance (RA) staff, and students have shown an interest in the duties and benefits of holding the RA job title. RAs work not only for monetary compensation, but also for the meaningful professional experience.

Earlier this month, an ad hoc library committee chose the architect, Murray Associates, P.C. for the John Stewart Memorial Library project. The committee formed specifically to select an architect with experience to maintain the integrity and character of the original building, while addressing modern library needs.

In a black T-shirt and jeans, director Spike Lee quietly took the stage on Thurs, Feb. 16 to speak on topic of "The Cultural Diversity in America" in celebration of Black History Month. The Diversity Team, Advisor Cindy Shoemaker, and Chaplain Rosie Magee traveled to listen to Lee as he pointed out that the majority of African-Americans still experience economic poverty.

Four floors of photographs, memoirs and artwork tell the stories of the estimated 14,000,000 people murdered during the Holocaust in the mid-twentieth century. Located in Washington, D.C., the Holocaust Memorial Museum is home to the artifacts that tell the story of this European genocide. Eight students and two professors visited the Holocaust Museum on Weds, Feb. 15. Asst. Prof. of Religion, David True and Asst. Prof. of Philosophy, John Elia coordinated the trip as part of their "Happiness" course.

Following a tenure of nearly 65 years combined in service to the college, Prof. of Classics and Fine Arts, Virginia Anderson-Stojanovic and Prof. of Psychology, Beverly Ayers-Nachamkin will retire in order to continue to pursue creative and scholarly interests.

Women hate math, true or not? The Alpha Delta Theta (ADT) math club turned heads as the biggest number of women participated at the James Madison University conference in 2011. During Friday’s event, nine members of the ADT, the biggest in Wilson participating history, joined advisor Dr. Karen Adams, to attend the SUMS conference.

Did you upload your photo on your Facebook today? Did you update your status as, "My psychology class is awful?" Are you a bad mouth on Facebook?If you answered "yes," then you needed the workshop Failbook. Director of Career Development, Jay Pfeiffer, held the workshop, Failbook, on Tue, Nov. 29 and Thurs, Dec. 1.

On Mon, Oct. 17, Dr. Ted Smith presented a guest lecture on "The Spirit of John Brown: Retrieving Diving Violence as a Topic in Christian Ethics." Smith, Asst. Prof of Ethics of Society at Vanderbilt University is the author of The New Measures: A Theological History of Democratic Practice. Smith's work seeks to "reconfigure ethics, as part of a larger, broader understanding, as a culture and as human beings. Ted does social ethics… with the stuff of everyday life," says David True, Assoc. Prof of Religion and History.

The lack of high school student preparedness for college is a complication affecting nearly every college across the country. Remedial programs have been implemented in many community and four-year colleges as an attempt to prepare incoming college students. Many institutions see this growing trend as a sign that many students are not ready for, or capable of, college-level work.

In July, the Middle States Commission approved Wilson’s new Master of Arts degree in Humanities. Wilson will begin taking applications as early as Nov. 2011 and will begin enrolling students in the program during the fall 2012 semester.

Computers in the dorm room halls run slower than the recently upgraded computers on other parts of campus. Among those, the library’s computers are the fastest on campus. Besides inequity among functionality of campus computers, working printers are also in high demand this semester.

The first Monday of the semester, Registration Day, is a day where students can take care of administrative tasks such as going to the Financial Aid Office or the Business Offices. Students had the opportunity to speak with faculty advisors, academic administrators, current students and other new students. Students could also obtain housing information, buy their books and pick up their I.D. cards. However, on Sat, Oct. 22 the Office of the Registrar sent out an all-campus email describing changes to the academic calendar for 2011-17. The most immediate change is that classes will begin at 8:00am on Mon, Jan. 23, 2012 instead of at 6:00pm.

Former alumnae, current students and an estimated 400 people attended the three-day installation ceremony of Dr. Mistick, that followed in the footsteps of retirement of former president, Lorna D. Edmundson.

Dr. Barbara K. Mistick began her tenure in late July. Her time on campus began with major renovations and the relocation of the John Stewart Memorial Library. In addition, Mistick faces the challenges of a failing economy and declining enrollment in the College for Women.

This fall Elizabeth Leary joined the campus as the new stable manager. Leary previously managed large barns and breeding operations, worked as an instructor and trainer, was the captain of her college hunt seat team, and worked as a veterinarian technician.

On Fri, Aug. 5, the Communications Department proudly launched the new and improved Wilson College website. The website increases the college’s ability to inform its audience, engage current and potential students and connect users.

This fall students will not have the college experience of spending late nights at the library writing their papers alongside the stacks of books at the John Stewart Memorial Library. This is because the library is temporarily closed and has relocated to Sarah’s Coffeehouse in Lenfest Commons.

Besides continuing with its office hours and Pizza Talks, WCGA continues to look for ways to reach out to the student body. Students can go see a member of the Board during the WCGA Executive Board office Hours with any question or idea they may have.

Beginning in the spring semester of this academic year the Wilson College Government Association (WCGA) implemented office hours. WCGA Improves Accessibility "Office hours are a way for the executive council to become more accessible and visible to campus," explains WCGA President Stephanie Bachman ‘12.

Recently Wilson publicized this year's Commencement Speaker at the All-College Forum. Hazel Henderson, a world-renowned author, television producer and economic futurist, will earn an honorary degree and give the commencement speech. Henderson's lengthy career in media Henderson, who is now 76-years-old, is the founder of Ethical Markets Media, LLC and the creator and co-executive producer of its TV series, according to her website.

Two banners disappeared from the Wilson College Women's Studies Lounge. The banners were missing before Thurs, Feb. 10. Even though the Women's Studies Lounge banner was returned, the Children's Corner banner is still missing. Moreover, a few weeks ago, 200 lollipops were stolen from the Academic Support Center (ASC).

Residential Life (ResLife) will host a series of events this semester. Sherri Ihle-Sadowski, Director of Residence Life, says the ResLife staff is excited to announce the upcoming events and hopes Wilson residents participate. On Fri, Feb. 18, ResLife will provide shuttles to transfer students to Shippensburg University to watch The Vagina Monologues.

It is a new semester and WCGA will finish the 2010-2011 academic year strongly. WCGA would first like to thank all of the students who participated in the meals with the final four presidential candidates. Your time and comments meant a great deal to the search committee members.

In mid-September, Renee Payne began working as Wilson's Career Development Volunteer. She started presenting on-campus workshops, but now she also advises potential graduate school students. Angela Lynch, Director of Career Development says, "Renee is a tremendous resource. Having someone of her caliber giving us her commitment and time is a great service to students."

This fall the Office of Student Activities (OSA), lead by the Assistant Dean of Students, Jared Halter, established three new internship positions. Becky Harrison '12 holds the Programming and Marketing Intern position, Alaina Hofer '11 holds the Orientation and Marketing Intern position and Amanda Day '12 holds the Leadership Development Intern position. Halter says, "These internships were founded because movement isn't easy to find on campus. These internships generate that and help build within."

Gaining job experience before graduating college is an important part of a well-balanced education. Internships are a vital part of gaining job experience, and at Wilson many majors require internships as a graduation criteria. The application process for internships may seem confusing to students. However, the Career Development Center at Wilson offers their services to guide students through this process.

The John Stewart Memorial Library has several new databases on trial for the Wilson community to use. These databases are the Gender Studies Database, Global Reference on the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources (GREENR), Professional Development Collection, Science in Context, Science Direct and Women's Studies International.

This summer, thanks to a grant from the Heinz Foundation, Wilson students and their children can participate in a study abroad opportunity in Costa Rica. The study abroad curriculum is currently in the pilot program stage. Two courses are planned for the occasion. The first is an intermediate level Spanish course titled "In Other Words, In Other Worlds: ‘Languages and Culture in Costa Rica.'" The second is an environmental studies course titled "Costa Rica: Perspectives on Sustainability." According to the New Economics Foundation, "Costa Rica ranks first in the Happy Planet Index and is the ‘greenest' country in the world." Therefore, it is an extremely appropriate place to study sustainability practices.

On Thurs, Nov. 11, at the Harry R. Brooks Complex for Science, Mathematics and Technology, President Lorna Duphiney Edmundson announced Wilson College's financial position during the All-College Forum.

Wilson College Equestrian Center hosted its annual Halloween Hunter Jumper schooling show Sun, Oct. 31. The equestrian center held the show in the Hawthorne Arena. Warm up began at 8:00am and the first class began at 9:00am.

In the Rosenkrans parking lot, an old cement ramp leads to piping that runs over the Conococheague Creek to the Penn Hall Equestrian Center. Several years ago, a bridge connected the back of main campus to the Penn Hall Equestrian Center at this exact spot. The bridge sat over the top of the piping.

As of Oct. 1, Wilson is in compliance with the Middle States Commission of Higher Education's standards for accreditation. In September, the Middle States team visited the Wilson College campus and warned the college that its accreditation was in jeopardy. Two of our 14 standards were not in compliance.

This October, twelve faculty members submitted proposals for Strategic Innovation Grants (SIG). President Lorna Duphiney Edmundson explains these grants were proposed for "academic program improvement, new academic program development, or new academic program formats that had a high potential for increasing enrollment and were in keeping with the Strategic Plan."

"We're all kind of pioneers here," says Reginald Heefner, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Arabic and Chinese and a student of the Teacher Intern Program (TIP) at Wilson College. This is because for the first time in Wilson's history, a course in conversational Arabic is being held.

On Thurs, Oct. 14, the Career Development Center and Environmental Studies Department hosted Environmental Career Day in the Harry R. Brooks Complex for Science, Mathematics and Technology. The event provided networking opportunities with community partners for both Wilson students and Chambersburg residents.

Six months after her husband spoke at Wilson, Susan Clark-Sestak, wife of Congressman Joe Sestak's, also came to campus and canvassed for her husband in the upcoming mid-term election. Democrat Joe Sestak, a congressman representing Pennsylvania's Seventh Congressional District, currently runs against Republican Pat Toomey for a seat in the U.S. Senate.

On Jan. 18, 2011, Tom Corbett will take the oath of office as Pennsylvania's 46th governor. His running mate, Jim Cawley former Buck's County Commissioner, will be sworn in as Lt. Governor. Republican Corbett was Pennsylvania's state attorney general prior to his victory in the governor's race over Democrat candidate Dan Onorato.

The Wilson Wellness Committee formed after a suggestion from President Edmundson. Committee members include representatives from the Athletics Department, Human Resources, and the Wellness Center. The campus-wide initiative promotes health and wellness, develops educational sessions, and provides numerous opportunities for learning new healthful habits to incorporate into daily life.

The Penn Hall Equestrian Center of Wilson College received two Andalusian mares this summer. The equine sisters join the riding program as school horses for the use of the riding students in their biweekly lessons.

The work-study issue became a heated topic upon the beginning of the new academic year. Only 140 returning students received work-study award this year even though a total number of 216 full-time, undergraduate students applied. Many students did not know they hadn't received work-study until they returned to school in the fall.

The Wilson College Fencing Club hopes to hold a fencing tournament during the Spring '11 semester. This tournament would feature multiple fencing clubs from nearby universities such as Millersville and Gettysburg.

Some people have concerns about Wilson's ability to come together as a community. Their concerns can now be put to rest. When water pipes burst in Prentis Hall on Sunday, June 6, the Wilson community came together. Around 6:00am a clean water laundry room pipe burst in Prentis Hall and forced all of its residents to evacuate and caused the childcare center in the bottom of Prentis to close for several days.

It is a warm sunny day in May and a group of people gather out on the campus green for graduation day at Wilson. In many ways, this scene appears like a graduation at any college: proud parents pose with their daughters, and professors look on with satisfaction at the accomplishments of their graduates.

A young woman stands in front of an empty floor. Off to the sides there are six, maybe seven people politely listening to her sing after a handful of students already left. Though they occupy the space these students are talking to one another and not giving her their full attention. Her soulful wails echo off walls and fall on deaf ears, she could just leave, yet she sings on for the small group of listeners. This was the scene at the recent Wilson College Spring Fling which begs the question, where is the student participation?

A recent series of campus thefts compromises the integrity of the Wilson College Honor Principle. The epidemic of stolen items has left the campus littered with flyers and emails requesting the return of long lost property.

Students who want to learn Arabic or Chinese are in luck. They can now take these classes along with a new French class,"Francophone Women Writers in Translation." This is the first time Wilson will offer classes in Arabic and Chinese and it is the first time that Prof. Melanie Gregg, Assoc. Prof. of French and Chair of Foreign Languages Department, offered this class in translation.

Addressing the issues of US foreign policy and diplomacy on Weds, April 6 2010, retired diplomats Pamela and William P. Kiehl came to Wilson to talk about diplomacy and the US foreign policy. In fact, Pamela is a Wilson alumnae and William was a diplomat for many years before retiring.

Congressman Joe Sestak gave a public speech at Wilson College Science Center Auditorium on April 1. Sestak bids for a seat in the Senate as a Democrat in the upcoming mid-term elections. Wilson Political Science Department "The mayor of Chambersburg, Pete Lagiovane, was hosting Congressman Sestak for various events around town.

Despite nine horses injured in one week, the Hunt Seat Show and Jeremy Beale Dressage Clinic at the Equestrian Center continue continued as scheduled in mid-April. Jeremy Beale is a U.S. Dressage Federation (USDF) gold medalist and former international and Olympic event rider for Great Britain.

The Pennsylvania 4-H rule changes for 2010 will cause its members to change riding strategies because of new class divisions and helmet laws now required of those who participate in equestrian competitions. The most controversial of the new division rules is that each rider may choose only one competition category.